DC BLACK LABEL was a short-lived imprint from DC from 2018-2019 that began by giving premier talent the opportunity to expand on the DC canon of iconic super-heroes with unique, standalone stories that exist outside DC Universe continuity and tell edgier and more provocative content. The line kicked off with BATMAN: DAMNED to some controversy over its explicit content. Some older material was then reissued under this imprint before the moniker was completely repurposed. New material appeared predominantly--but not exclusively--in an 8.5 in x 10.875 in softcover format with pre-existing content appearing in its original format. In June 2019, DC announced a brand consolidation for January 2020 with Vertigo, Zoom, Ink and other imprints being retired and replaced with an age-based branding system. In the new system, DC BLACK LABEL denotes stories for readers ages 17+, and its material is not limited by the previous imprint's description. Items solicited in the August 2019 issue of DC Previews (#16) carried the new age-based branding system.
